Crush
by Kellen
Summary: Duo finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place when he tries to avoid capture by OZ soldiers.


_Crush_

_by Kellen_

_Summary: Duo finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place when he tries to avoid capture by OZ soldiers. _

_Rating: K, or PG_

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and story aspects are property of Bandai and Sunrise, and whoever else may legitimately lay claim to them. I am not one of those fortunate (and rich) people._

_Author's Notes: Well, yes, I did write another one of the theme things. I told you I would. Duo-centric, because he's too darn easy to write. Action-y because it's fun to write. Beta read by the lovely BakaBokken because I would fall terribly short of any sort of expectation on my own power. (And because she was online and poking me to finish. /wink/ Thanks, dear. I needed the motivation.) And, yes, I do realize I'm stuck in a rut, and this has the same plot has the last GW fic. Shut up and enjoy it, m'kay/wink/ We all know that anyone reading this is a sucker for Duo in danger. _

_Theme #14: What did you say?

* * *

_

He pushed sweat drenched bangs away from his forehead, muttering curses. The afternoon sun beat down, and the metal he was perched on reflected the heat back into his face. His long hair – in its customary loose braid – was weighted with sweat and dirt and stuck to his neck uncomfortably. Black clothes clung to his body, and, not for the first time, Duo Maxwell shook his fist at the sky and shouted a curse to the sun.

In a fit of pique, he slammed the wrench he held onto the metal surface of the huge gundam he was clinging to. He yelped as the metal clanged and his fingers were crushed against the gundanium. The wrench fell, spinning and glinting in the sun during its long fall.

Duo cursed again, sighed, and started climbing down from Deathscythe's shoulder to retrieve the only wrench he had with him.

Southern Utah. Summertime. Broken gundam. Uncooperative OZ soldiers. Temperamental Deathscythe. Duo snarled. His feet hit the ground and he strode to where the wrench had bounced along the sandstone.

At least he had a good place to hide. He'd been afraid he'd have to set down in Nevada, and the flat desert there was not a good place to try to hide Deathscythe as he tried to repair it. Southern Utah, at least, had towering red bluffs, canyons and caves and it was in a box canyon that Deathscythe was nestled, under a rock overhang. There was a small rapidly rushing river nearby that Duo had made judicious use of, thanks to the July desert heat.

Duo grabbed the wrench and looked back up at Deathscythe, then gave the gundam a jaunty wave. "Later, buddy," he muttered. "I've got a hot date with a cool river." That said, Duo hiked the short distance to the mouth of the canyon and scrambled over rugged and rocky terrain until he could crouch comfortably at the bank of the small river.

"River nothing," he muttered, gazing up and down the ribbon of water. "Small enough to be nothin' but a creek." Sighing, he dipped his hands into the clear water. "Still, it's nice." He cupped his hands and splashed his dirty, sweaty face, smiling with relief. He leaned back, forearms resting against his knees, and turned his face to the sun, breathing deeply and trying to enjoy the reprieve. After a few minutes, he sighed and stood up, stretching and rolling his shoulders in preparation for the hike back to his gundam. He turned and the smooth rocks under his feet shifted. He cursed as his ankle rolled, and he fell to one knee, slamming his right hand painfully against sandstone in an attempt to keep himself from falling.

He opened his mouth, set to vent his frustrations in the time honored tradition of yelling obscenities.

Someone beat him to it. Duo's jaw snapped closed. Not ten feet away, behind an outcropping of stone, someone fell, dislodging rocks and sending them cascading into the river. More cursing erupted and laughter followed. Duo froze, listening and cataloging escape routes.

Not that he could find any right offhand.

"Find anything?"

The same voice that had been cursing answered. "No, sir."

The first man sighed heavily. "Keep looking. That pilot couldn't have gotten too far. Damn rugged country's not helping."

"He'll eventually go back to his gundam, right, sir?"

Maxwell didn't hear the answer; he was trying his hardest to move quietly and carefully away from the river, toward the walls of rock that marked the shallow canyon. A litany of curses and admonishments ran through his mind as he starting frantically looking for a way out. He started backpedaling, silently wishing he were a little more agile as the rocks threatened to roll under his feet.

His heel slipped backward as one stone rolled. He managed to keep his balance, but he sent a cascade of rocks rolling toward the water.

"Did you hear that?" one soldier asked.

Duo didn't wait to hear the answer; he turned tail and fled, intending to keep as close to the canyon wall as possible. He didn't look back when he heard the shouts behind him. He didn't look behind him when he heard the first gunshots, but he winced and ducked lower.

He lost his footing when he did and fell sideways, landing hard on the uneven ground. The fall, though, saved him as a shower of bullets cut into the rock wall at the level where his head had been. He rolled onto his stomach, scrambling forward. He'd only just regained his feet when the ground disappeared underneath him.

He fell into the darkness, only crying out when he landed on his right hand. It folded under him, and he landed hard on his shoulder. His cheek connected painfully with the rock. He lay there, stunned for a moment, before rolling onto his back. He heard the soldiers above shouting, giving orders and cautioning subordinates about unstable ground. He blinked owlishly. _Wish they'd shouted the warning sooner._

It took him a second to process the rest of the thought. _Oh, yeah… soldiers. Shooting. In my direction. I should move. _He stood up, a little slowly, shaking his head to clear it. A shaft of sunlight disturbed the dust that had risen in the small cave-in. Duo checked his belt quickly, frowning when he didn't find his radio. He listened for the soldiers as he looked around his feet. He grinned when he caught site of the radio. His smile though, faded as he retrieved it. The soldiers were closer than comfort allowed.

Duo stepped back, away from the sunlight and went to press his back against the rock wall he assumed encircled the hole he'd fallen in.

It would have worked better if there were a wall there.

He fell backward, sliding headfirst down a rather steep, and dark, incline. He flailed helplessly before finding purchase. He stopped his descent and managed to turn, until he was on his belly and facing up the incline. For a moment, he only stared up the incline and squinted at the far-away shaft of sunlight, the only light he could see.

"I found a damn cave."

The words had barely left his mouth when the world shook around him and then collapsed.

* * *

He noticed two things when he came to. He couldn't move, and he couldn't see. He shifted, and immediately figured out one more key thing: he hurt. A lot. In a lot of places.

Then he noticed the reason behind all of that. Rocks pinned him to the ground, resting on his back and legs and slowly, inexorably pushing against his body.

"Well, damn," he grunted. "The cave caved in."

At least the soldiers wouldn't kill him. Duo smirked in the darkness; despite his circumstances, he couldn't help but be a little morbidly amused. He'd always assumed he'd be shot by some lucky bastard of a soldier. Hell, he had figured that he wouldn't survive the war.

Being slowly crushed by a ton of rock had never entered into any equation.

"Never assume," Duo wryly whispered, then laughed softly.

The rocks shifted. Duo winced as sharp edges pressed against his ribs. He could hear the stone settling above him. He looked up, as best he could – as pinned as he was, he couldn't move much at all – and squinted against the darkness.

He snorted. Like he could actually see anything.

He wriggled, trying to find a more comfortable position, and then wanted to smack himself for his stupidity. _More comfortable position? Right..._

He found he could move the fingers of his left hand, but that didn't help much, since that hand was pinned beneath his own chest. If the middle of his chest suddenly developed an itch, then that hand would be useful. His right arm retained a little more movement. It was stretched above his head, his hand - the hand that he knew he wouldn't be using much for a long time, thanks to that earlier fall – resting awkwardly among small pebbles. Biting his lower lip against the pain, Duo started moving his hand. Something – anything – he could use had to be within reach.

Because, God damn it, he was not going to die buried underneath a damned mountain. Heero was the suicidal one; Duo was not going to wait around and get crushed.

He'd much rather be shot.

Or blown up.

Anything but crushed.

It was… ignoble…

The rocks shifted again, pressing downward. Duo gasped, eyes widening as the air was forced from his lungs. His eyes closed tightly and he pressed his forehead against the ground as the pressure increased. He couldn't help but cry out when something in his side seemed to crack and give. There was a piercing pain in his already sprained knee. His right hand fisted and – despite the pain in that hand – he pounded against the rock futilely.

Then, his hand hit something that definitely wasn't rock. He gasped again, and reached for it, fingers tracing the edges. Too neat, too square, too… _plastic! Radio…_

Duo grabbed the communicator, fumbling with the buttons and trying to bring it closer. _God, please work… _His abused fingers danced over the buttons, working from memory. Static suddenly poured into the small, quiet space.

"Thank you," Duo whispered… or tried to. He drew in a shallow breath, wheezing against the pressure on his back and chest.

He fumbled with the radio, rotating it so he could reach the controls and awkwardly hitting the scan button, finger hovering and hoping against hope that he'd hear something worthwhile.

It came as a burst of static with a jumble of letters and numbers hidden in it. Duo hit the button, stopping the scan. He knew that voice, and he knew that code.

"…GD Zero Two, res… Zero Two, respond…"

Duo smiled; they were looking for him.

Even if they were too late, it was nice to know they didn't just let him go without trying.

He pushed down a switch on the radio and tried to talk. The rocks pushed down on him again, sending tendrils of searing pain through his chest and back. This time, he whimpered.

"Zero Two?"

Duo's eyes were shut tight, but he laughed soundlessly. Of course the radio would pick up a whimper. It was… embarrassing.

He drew as much air as he could. "Zero Two," he confirmed with a breathless pained voice. He could hear Quatre's quick breath, and knew he must sound bad.

"Status?"

Duo smirked; Quatre had gone into command mode. The young blond expected an answer, and he expected it now. Far be it from Duo not to oblige his comrade. He tried to gather enough breath to do so.

He knew something was very wrong when bright spots danced in front of his eyes. It was too dark for bright spots.

For having a ton of rock daring to press down on him, he felt strangely weightless.

"Zero Two!"

It was shouted; Duo started, gasping as his movement aggravated his injuries.

"Status, Zero Two! Answer me now!"

Duo found enough air to say the one thing on his mind. "Shoulda' been shot."

There was silence and Duo could picture Quatre clearly. The blond would be furrowing his brows, trying to make sense of a nonsensical answer. "Repeat, Zero Two?"

Duo laughed breathlessly. "Shot," he gasped, "not crushed."

It was, in his mind, inordinately amusing that he was dying in a way he'd never imagined. He kept laughing, gasping for air that wouldn't come; the white spots in his eyes expanded and he could no longer tell if he were awake.

The mountain shuddered. Quatre kept talking and there was a note of something in his voice that made Duo frown worriedly; good ol' Quat shouldn't sound so sad. His voice wasn't suited for a desperate note. He patted the radio reassuringly and muzzily answered. "No worries."

He closed his eyes, and it seemed like the mountain exploded around him.

* * *

He was breathing.

It was, for him, a miracle. It still hurt, and he moved his arm when he found it lying across his chest.

He squinted. Even with his eyes closed, the light hurt.

It took him a few moments to figure out that, in light of the situation he'd been in when he lost consciousness, breathing, moving and seeing light shouldn't be possible.

He blinked, and discovered he was wrapped in a thin blanket. His right hand was bandaged, as were the cuts on his cheek and forehead. He could feel the tape catching on wisps of hair and he grimaced, and started to move his hand.

Someone pushed his hair back and adjusted the bandage. Duo blinked again, concentrating on bringing whoever stood over him into focus.

Quatre looked down at him, grinning happily. "Hi," he chirped.

Duo waved the fingers of his left hand in a weak hello, and smiled wanly.

"You're still in Utah," Quatre said, anticipating the question.

Duo looked past the blond, and finally took note of his surroundings. Out the open flap of the tent, he could see the stony ground, and small trees. "Joy," he muttered. He contemplating shifting position, but discarded the idea. Between the pain and the narrowness of the cot he was in, he decided it would be a bad idea.

"We're not too far from where you hid Deathscythe; Wufei's back with your gundam, getting it flyable."

Duo's eyebrow arched. "Wufei?"

"You think he'd rather coddle you?"

"Coddle?"

Quatre smiled and laughed. "Don't take offense; you know how Wufei is. The only reason he's even in on this is because I ran into him while I was looking for you."

"I feel so loved."

"Yes, well…" Quatre shrugged. "Once Deathscythe is repaired, you should be able to fly out of here, provided we go in tandem. I hate to push you, but I don't think we need to stick around here for too long. OZ found you once already."

Duo nodded. Later, he'd ask Quatre why he'd come, and how he'd managed the rescue, and what happened. Right now, though…

"You just rest, Duo. I'll tell you everything later."

Quatre always knew exactly what he was thinking. Duo grinned as he closed his eyes.

"And I expect you to tell me what exactly you said over the radio, Zero Two," Quatre said sternly. "Telling me you were shot or some such nonsense…"

Duo snorted, then winced. Ribs hurt too much for snorting… "Explain later," he said softly.

Quatre laughed quietly. "Rest, you."

Duo gladly obliged.

_The End_

_I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. _

_Cheers,Kellen_


End file.
